States of Matter
by Namazukage
Summary: The Doctor and her companions visit a planet with an unstable moon. When they learn that something is in the water, the Doctor is determined to help.
1. Rescue

**States of Matter**

_Chapter 1: Rescue_

The Doctor walked around a vast underground cave with Graham, Yaz, and Ryan. Large pumps the size of double-decker buses made it difficult for the group members to hear each other, so the Doctor led the way out, back towards the TARDIS.

Near the entrance of the cave, debris started falling from above.

"Be careful," the Doctor warned.

Graham and Yaz proceeded through. As Ryan was approaching the exit, part of the ceiling collapsed.

"Ryan!" Graham yelled.

"I'm fine," Ryan soon assured. "I see another path. I'll meet you outside."

"Are you sure you're okay?" the Doctor asked.

"Yeah, I'm all right."

Taking an indirect route, Ryan noticed a pile of partially buried orange sticks that looked ceramic. He eventually reached the rest of the group and dusted himself off.

Graham saw clusters of small buildings in the distance. "That looks like civilization over there."

The group walked around a small city while humanoid beings watched them with curiosity.

Yaz noticed the plethora of dried vegetables and dried meats on display for sale.

A rocket suddenly launched from a different part of the city. The group looked up and the Doctor mapped the trajectory in her head.

"It's going to the moon," the Doctor said.

"It's carrying building parts," Ryan noted.

"How do you know that?" asked Yaz.

"This news clip explains today's launch," Ryan answered, pointing to a small screen on a kiosk.

"That's convenient," said Graham with a smile. "Why can't we find these every place we go?"

"The rocket is full of building materials and robots programmed to set up residential areas to maintain a population that will keep the moon stable," Yaz read from the news clip.

"I think we're on the planet Suttor," said the Doctor.

"You know what's happening here, then?" Graham asked.

"This planet's moon is called Taffott, and it became unstable," the Doctor answered. "The population here is concerned the moon will fall apart. So many things on this planet depend on the gravity from the moon - tides, the rotational speed, its axis. The governments here have been sending up tools to stabilize the moon, but if they want to do a sufficient job maintaining it, they'll need to set up long-term residences for geologists to live on the moon and observe it closely. That launch must be preparation for the workers."

"That's convenient knowledge, too," said Graham.

"I've heard of this place. Never been here before," the Doctor explained.

"How can the workers being sent up there know for certain the moon will be safe and stable enough for them?" Yaz asked.

"They don't," the Doctor replied. "The ones that apply for employment there have faith in scientific models."

"Or maybe they're too keen on finding employment," Graham added.

"Possibly," said the Doctor.

The Doctor and her companions continued a walking tour of the city.

"There's someone standing on the ledge over there," Ryan pointed out. He was looking up at an adjacent building.

Two bystanders were also watching the individual, wavering over the edge.

The Doctor noticed a flag hanging on a wall below the potential jumper and used her sonic screwdriver to undo the binds on the top half of the flag.

"He's going to jump," Graham noticed.

Just as the individual walked over the ledge, the top of the flag slowly drifted down and got caught on overhang carvings. The jumper landed on the flag ungracefully. Under the pressure of the jumper's weight, the flag slipped through the carvings and the jumper landed on the ground with a thud. The Doctor ran up to him.

"Are you all right?" the Doctor asked. "You survived because of that stop, but you still fell a long way."

"I'm in pain. This is worse than my plan."

"I guess some gratitude would be too much to ask for, then?" Graham noted.

"Gratitude for what?"

"For saving you!" Graham replied. "The flag caught you because of the Doctor here."

"You did no favors for me. My application to work on Taffott was rejected. I will be staying on this planet for the rest of my life."

"Why is that such a bad thing?" Yaz asked.

"Because of the sheets in the flow."

"The what in the what?" Graham asked.

"I am a believer," the jumper answered. "If you are adamant that they don't exist, you should just leave me be."

"So you can try to kill yourself again?" Ryan snapped.

"My family is well known for our strong resolves."

"We don't know what you're talking about with the sheets," said Yaz. "We're not from around here."

"Even those on the other side of the planet know about the sheets."

"We're not from this planet," Ryan explained. "We're visitors."

"Does that mean you have transport off this planet? Does that mean you can take me away?"

The companions exchanged awkward looks with the Doctor.

"I am Ardstil Coyell Dunner. I am gifted in the trades of sculpture and flat design. I am renowned for my style of motion drawings. My gifts are clearly useless on Taffott, but they could be useful to you. Perhaps you would be interested in my work. It would be a fair exchange. I only require passage to another world. We have not had visitors to our planet since I was a baby. I would be willing to offer half my collection so that I do not miss this opportunity."

"Can we go back to the sheets in the flow?" Graham requested. "What are you talking about?"

"There is something in the water systems. I know it. Many don't believe, but I do. They are malevolent. They have taken away so many of our children. Those who believe soon disappear. I fear I am next."

"And these things look like sheets?" Ryan asked.

"They are flat and big," Ardstil explained.

"You don't think there will be any on Taffott?" asked Yaz. "How do you know they won't make it there?"

"The screening procedures for the rockets have been very thorough because the artificial ecosystem on Taffott must be as clean as possible," replied Ardstil.

"Would you show us the way to wherever we can see your art?" the Doctor requested.

"Of course!"

Ardstil led the way to his home.

"Are you really going to give him a ride?" Ryan asked. "Do you know a place that's good for him?"

"How is he going to get by?" Graham asked. "Does he hope to sell the rest of his work?"

"Maybe he hasn't thought that far," the Doctor answered. "I'd like to find out more about these sheets. I don't think giving him a ride somewhere else would be a good idea, but I don't want to dismiss anything right now."

"We're arriving soon." Ardstil said.

"Is there an actual name for these sheets in the water?" the Doctor asked.

"Most call them Bartzes. I will not dignify them by using a name for them."

The group reached Ardstil's one-story home. He led the Doctor and her companions into the main living area at the front, which was clearly used as a studio. Paintings adorned the walls and the Doctor's companions contemplated how to walk around the many statues on the ground. Numerous tiny ornaments hung from the ceiling.

"This is all I have made and still have," Ardstil said. "I use only the purest materials, including jade that I picked myself off the walls of Green Beach Cave. Name your price for a trip to another planet suitable for me."

"How about we talk more about the Bartzes, instead?" the Doctor suggested. "Where are they found?"

"They can potentially be found in any large body of water."

"Where's the closest body you think has one?"

"That would be Blue Ridge Reservoir. My water here comes from that reservoir. That's how the sheets are trying to poison me."

"Where is it?" the Doctor asked.

"I'm not going there. I'm not going."

"Just tell us where it is," the Doctor answered. "We'll go there ourselves."

"Will you come back? I wish to continue discussing trade."

"We'll be back," the Doctor promised.

The Doctor and her companions walked slightly over one kilometer to the reservoir, and the Doctor scanned the area.

"There is something there," the Doctor remarked. "They're hidden well in the water."

"You said you knew of this planet," Graham noted. "This didn't come up?"

"No, it didn't. I doubt the technology here can detect them. They're very well hidden. They're the color of the water and their bodies are so flexible they move with the flow. Our eyes can't detect them, and neither can the planet's instruments. That's why they're still myth."

"What do you want to do about it, Doctor?" Yaz asked.

The Doctor crouched down and felt the water with her fingers. "They're slightly telepathic. That might be how they know to target Ardstil, if they are in fact targeting him."

"Doctor, are these things dangerous?" Graham asked.

"Possibly," the Doctor answered. "Let's go back to Ardstil's house. I'd like to know more about his interactions with these things."

From a distance, the group noticed clamoring around Ardstil's house. When they got closer, Ardstil saw them returning.

"That's them!" Ardstil said to a crowd of fourteen individuals.

Someone ran up to the Doctor. "I am Murren Park Amzol. I am gifted in the trades of medicine and therapy. I can look after all your ailments if you take me away with Ardstil."

Soon, the others gathered around the Doctor and the companions, asking for passage off the planet.

"I am Bregkurk Corlian Parrish. I am gifted in the trades of weaponry and targeting. Please take me off this planet. I will serve as your bodyguard for whatever term of time you wish."

"Well, this is going to be difficult," the Doctor remarked.


	2. Possessed

_Chapter 2: Possessed _

"They're so scared, Doctor," Graham quietly remarked about the crowd.

"Okay, everyone calm down," the Doctor said loudly. "I know you all want off this planet, but I have another solution that will avoid the trouble of resettlement and let you keep all your belongings."

Yaz and Ryan looked at each other.

"You know what she's about to say," Ryan commented quietly.

"We're going to solve your Bartz problem," the Doctor finished with a smile.

"How?" Ryan asked quietly.

"Ardstil, perhaps we should have a word in private?" the Doctor suggested. "I think we have a lot to discuss."

"Yes," Ardstil replied.

The Doctor and her companions made their way through the crowd and into the front of Ardstil's home.

"You can really help us get rid of the sheets?"

"That's better than having to move, isn't it?" Graham said.

"Yes, it is," Ardstil answered. "There are so many of them, I did not think it would be possible."

"How many have you seen?" the Doctor asked.

"I've seen at least fifteen."

"In the reservoir?" the Doctor asked.

"Around here," Ardstil answered. "Perhaps I've seen ten at most at the same time in the reservoir."

Graham noticed the worried expression on the Doctor's face. "What is it?"

"I felt two when we were there," the Doctor answered. "There's potentially more that I couldn't sense because they're hard to distinguish in the water, but there cannot be more than five in the reservoir."

"What does that mean?" Yaz asked.

"Those things are moving, then," Graham summarized. "That makes them more terrifying, yeah?"

"Much more," the Doctor answered. "This is going to be harder than I initially thought it'd be."

"Can you track any of them?" Ryan asked. "Find out where they went?"

"With enough luck, yes. We need to return to the reservoir."

"Will you come with us this time?" Graham asked Ardstil.

The Doctor led the way back to the reservoir and scanned the area with her sonic screwdriver.

"This is working," the Doctor said. "There was a concentration of them. They moved together. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to detect them. They left as a group towards this direction."

Everyone followed the traces of the Bartzes, until they saw the launch pad.

"Ardstil, tell me a rocket did not launch from there recently," said the Doctor.

"How recently?" Ardstil asked.

"Was this the rocket that launched today?"

"No, it launched yesterday."

"Oh, this is bad," the Doctor said while she was scanning the area further.

"What is?" Graham asked.

"I'm still picking up readings that say the Bartzes were still going, but there's no physical trace of them on the ground," replied the Doctor.

"What does that mean?" Ryan asked. "Wait, did they start levitating? Did they become like mist?"

"Can they do that?" Yaz asked Ardstil.

"Yes, they can turn into a mist form."

"They really are like water," Graham commented.

"They can get into the rockets undetected now, if they're mist," the Doctor concluded.

Ardstil ran off towards his neighborhood.

"How does he know so much about these things?" Ryan pondered.

"That's a question for another time. The fact is that he does know and when someone that well-informed runs off like that, there's a reason."

The Doctor took off after Ardstil, followed by her companions. They eventually found Ardstil behind Bregkurk's home. Bregkurk was pulling metal cylinders out of a box in the ground.

"What are those?" Yaz asked.

"I told you I'm gifted in the trades of weaponry and targeting. If I can map the trajectory of the last rocket, I am confident in my ability to destroy it before it reaches Taffott."

"That is not a good idea," the Doctor warned.

"How do we even know for certain those things are on yesterday's rocket?" Graham asked.

"We don't," the Doctor replied.

"Wait, if those things are leaving the planet, why is that a problem?" asked Ryan.

Everyone looked at Ardstil and Bregkurk.

"There would be fewer on this planet left," Yaz suggested. "If they all go, then you won't have a problem anymore. Maybe on the moon, they can settle away from the workers."

"How likely is that?" Graham wondered

"This is not about their settlement," Bregkurk responded. "They are confined and vulnerable now. This is an ideal opportunity to destroy them." He took out some controls and inputted numbers for modeling.

"There has to be another way," the Doctor argued. "Every piece of equipment being sent up to the moon is necessary. If you destroy any part of that, you're going to set back the mission and endanger this planet."

"We are already in danger," Ardstil countered.

The Doctor walked up to Bregkurk and looked at his models.

"It looks like you've still got a lot of work to do."

"I have enough time," Bregkurk responded.

"We do, too. Come on," the Doctor told her companions with her sonic screwdriver out.

"What are you doing?" Graham asked.

"I want to track the mist form of the Bartzes. We need absolute confirmation they are on the rocket."

The Doctor, Graham, Yaz, and Ryan arrived back to where they saw the last signs of physical evidence of the Bartzes.

"Doctor, does this moon project succeed?" Yaz asked. "Do they stabilize it?"

"History says they will stabilize the moon, but I don't know if the moon is going to be invaded by the Bartzes or not, and I don't know if the Bartzes take over this planet or not. I'm pickup up something, but the signal is strong somewhere else."

The Doctor slowly led the way back into town and arrived at Ardstil's home.

"There's mist in here?" Ryan asked.

The Doctor slowly opened the door and followed the signal to a room at the back of the house. In the room sat an older woman who appeared to be in a trance.

"Are you all right?" the Doctor cautiously asked the woman.

"I heard your voices before. Will you take Ardstil away from this wretched planet?"

"Who are you?" Graham asked.

"I am Enralk Dunner Spold. I am Ardstil's aunt."

"I've been tracking traces of the Bartz mist. Why does this particular trail end with you?"

"I have one in me, but my family is known for our strong willpower. I am in control."

"Barely," Ardstil suddenly said, surprising the Doctor and her companions. "I know that control becomes more difficult every day, and soon, the sheet will take over completely. It might take me next. I will have nothing left I will have no family and no place to go, unless the Doctor helps me."

"I'm sorry," the Doctor replied. She scanned Enralk.

"I expect Bregkurk will need your help, too. He feels optimistic that his weapons can reach the rocket, but I am not so certain. We have an opportunity to destroy some of the sheets, aunt."

"What is happening?" Enralk asked.

The Doctor and Ardstil updated Enralk on what had transpired. Enralk struggled to get up, so Ardstil helped her.

"But this can't be possible," the Doctor said. "A Bartz inhabiting you in this manner can't work. There's a compatibility issue. There's biology to consider."

"And yet, we are together. I believe this one in me is young and inexperienced. Take me outside," Enralk requested.

Ardstil led Enralk out to a well pump. Enralk turned on the pump, allowing water to gush out onto the ground. She knelt down into the water, getting herself wet.

"What are you doing?" Graham asked.

"I am communing with the water," Enralk replied. "I am reaching out to the Bartzes that remain in the reservoir."

Everyone waited patiently for Enralk, who eventually turned off the well.

"The Bartzes have instructions to take over the moon. All that remain of the Bartzes will board the next rocket tomorrow. It has been decided."

"How many trips have the Bartzes made so far?" the Doctor asked.

"Just the one yesterday," Enralk answered. "Only two trips are necessary for them."

"How many Bartzes total?"

"There are one hundred eighteen, including the one in me."

"We will destroy both rockets," Ardstil said. "I do not trust the sheets to be content on Taffott. We must destroy them before they will think to return to this planet. We must destroy them while we can for what they have done to my aunt."

"Then this Bartz must stay with me," Enralk said.

"Why?" Ardstil asked.

"It knows your plans. It could sabotage your plans if it were released."

"You also said before that removing the sheet could possibly endanger your health," Ardstil recalled.

"Yes, there is that to consider, too."

The Doctor scanned Enralk. "What if I could remove the Bartz safely and keep it confined?"

"You could do that?" Enralk asked.

"You would do that?" Ardstil added.

"Yes, but it will take time. I have an idea."

In the TARDIS, the Doctor hooked Enralk up to several machines.

"Once I extract the Bartz, I'll be able to analyze it. I'm hoping to learn more about it before the first rocket reaches Taffott."

"How long will the trip take?" Ryan asked.

"About a week," the Doctor answered. "Ardstil is right that time is critical here. Once the Bartzes reach Taffott, they'll become much harder to control."

"Thank you for agreeing," said Ardstil. "We should not wait to destroy the rockets. Bregkurk's aim will become less precise over time.""

"Do you really wish to risk the mission to stabilize the moon? Do you think you get to make that sort of decision for the planet?"

"I cannot do nothing, Doctor."

The Doctor sighed. "What has happened so far? What's been sent up to Taffott?"

"Metal bearings, monitors, base construction materials, transport vehicles," Ardstil said.

"Base construction?" the Doctor asked. "Does that mean no materials with water?"

"Yes, that goes up later," Ardstil answered.

The Doctor smiled. "Okay. Tell Bregkurk to wait. If what I suspect is true, this might actually be easy, then."


	3. Exile

_Chapter 3: Exile_

Just outside the TARDIS, the Doctor, Ryan, Yaz, Graham, and Ardstil watched a rocket blast off into space with more construction and monitoring equipment along with the remainder of the Bartzes, presumably.

"Let's get going," the Doctor said. "The TARDIS is still running some analyses, but we can start."

Yaz, Ryan, and Graham walked over to a crowd of Ardstil's neighbors, including Bregkurk.

"All right, grab your gear and head into the TARDIS," Graham said.

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor and Ardstil looked over Enralk.

"I feel fine," Enralk said.

"Good, but stay here and rest, anyway," the Doctor said. "Take things slowly."

Ardstil glanced at a glass tube housing the Bartz that had possessed Enralk.

"Easy," the Doctor told Ardstil. "We'll take care of it later. I'm getting a lot of useful readings off it now."

Soon, the TARDIS and its passengers arrived at the top level of the first rocket that previously launched.

"First team, go secure the load," the Doctor said.

A group in spacesuits led by Graham, Yaz, and Ardstil surveyed each floor, making sure everything was securely in place. They applied reinforcements to potential weak spots.

"I knew this would be cold, but I didn't expect this," Yaz commented.

"It's not cold enough," the Doctor replied through earpieces. "The Bartzes will know where to hide."

"Everything on the first floor is ready," Graham announced. "We're going down to the second floor."

Eventually, Graham announced they were approaching the fifth floor.

"Are you sure you've applied the resium gel seal to every floor?"

"I'm sure."

"Okay, let's go," the Doctor told her team. She led Ryan and Bregkurk out of the TARDIS.

While Ryan walked around to acclimate himself to his spacesuit, the Doctor closed the TARDIS doors.

"Down you go," the Doctor said.

The TARDIS dematerialized.

The Doctor, Ryan, and Bregkurk went to different sides of the rocket's top floor.

"Activate your magnetic clamps," the Doctor told Ryan and Bregkurk. "Make sure the ones on your wrists are on standby."

"Done," Ryan said.

"I'm ready," Bregkurk commented.

"Go," the Doctor said.

The Doctor, Ryan, and Bregkurk each attached a device to the walls of the rocket.

"Push," the Doctor ordered.

All three pushed a button, blowing holes in three parts of the rocket, and then withdrew. The gush of wind nearly knocked the three over, but the clamps kept them in place and allowed them to slowly head to the door to the next level. Both the Doctor and Ryan activated the clamps on their wrists and got on all fours to stabilize themselves before they finally reached the door. The Doctor used her sonic screwdriver to weaken the resium gel seal to open the door.

"I think they used too much gel," the Doctor commented while trying to pull the door open. She, Ryan, and Bregburk were able to open the door only slightly.

Bregkurk flattened himself and squeezed through the small opening. With Bregkurk pushing from the other side, the Doctor and Ryan finally managed to open the door enough to walk through.

Once on the other side, Ryan reapplied the seal and the three began the process again, thankful that less gel was used on the other doors.

Eventually, Graham's and Yaz's team reached the bottom floor.

"Doctor, we're all done and heading into the TARDIS."

"Did you feel any difference after we started blowing holes in the rocket?" the Doctor asked.

"No, the seal worked."

"Good. We'll see you in the TARDIS."

The Doctor, Ryan, and Bregkurk continued their work until they reached the final floor, punctured three more holes, and went into the TARDIS.

The Doctor looked at a monitor. "The second rocket has left the planet's atmosphere. Everyone ready to do this again?"

The group repeated the same procedure in the second rocket and then returned to the top floor of the first rocket. The Doctor hauled out a large metal case with Graham.

"Just put them through the top. They can't get out," the Doctor said.

"Will they all fit?" Ryan asked.

"Yes. It's bigger on the inside. Use this knob to record yourselves. We need to make sure we get them all. The TARDIS will go down floor by floor with us but if you want to use the doors, the seals should have deteriorated enough that you should be able to forcefully pull them open."

Going floor by floor, the group collected Bartzes, now frozen as ice and inactive, and placed them in the case. They repeated the process in the second rocket.

Finally, the Doctor, Ardstil, and Ryan brought out the Bartz that had inhabited Enralk. The Doctor unlatched the bottom of the tube, forcing the Bartz to pour out into the case.

"And that's one hundred eighteen," the Doctor announced. "We got them all."

"You sure that everything we collected is a Bartz?" Graham asked.

"They haven't sent up any materials yet that contain a substantial amount of water. Do you remember the cave we walked through when we arrived? Those large pumps were for water. They're not ready to send water to the moon, yet. Plus, the TARDIS detected signs of life."

"Thank you," Ardstil said.

"We're happy to help," the Doctor replied.

"And to think that when we met you, you had lost all hope," said Graham.

"Thank you," Ardstil repeated.

After dropping Ardstil and his neighbors off, the Doctor took her companions and the case to another planet.

"There are no sentient life forms on this planet, nor will there ever be. In approximately four hundred years, satellites from the planet Arkawen Yuey will pass by to collect data, and the data will show it's too hot for the Arkwants. It's fine for the Bartzes, though, according to the TARDIS. This'll be their home now."

The four pushed the case out of the TARDIS to the edge of a force field the Doctor erected. The Doctor opened one side, and the melted Bartzes flowed out. A few tried to attack the Doctor or her companions and a few others tried to enter the TARDIS.

"In!" a Bartz cried.

"They can speak!" Graham commented.

"I think that one is saying more than that, but that's all the TARDIS could translate."

The Bartzes' efforts were futile. The Doctor and Ryan pushed the case back into the ship and the TARDIS departed with her passengers.

The TARDIS parked on a tall hill in Suttor.

"The TARDIS was able to recalibrate her instruments based on information we learned from the Bartz in Enralk," the Doctor said. "She's scanning the planet."

Soon the TARDIS confirmed that there were no living Bartzes left, but also detected an anomaly. The ship took the Doctor and her companions to the cave they first visited when arriving on Suttor.

Tracking a signal fed by the ship, the Doctor led the group to a pile of orange sticks that looked ceramic lying on the ground.

"What are those?" Graham asked.

"I saw those things before," Ryan commented.

"They're bones," the Doctor answered while scanning them. "They're not like anything on this planet. I have access to the TARDIS' data and the readings are saying there are traces of Bartzes in these bones."

"That's what the TARDIS picked up?"

"She picked up traces of Bartzes everywhere, but they're concentrated here."

"Everywhere? Traces of Bartzes, but no actual Bartzes?" Ryan asked.

"Exactly," the Doctor said.

"Does that mean there are remnants left?" Yaz asked.

"Let's hope not," the Doctor answered. The Doctor took another reading of the bones and headed back into the TARDIS, followed by her companions. She looked over data collected about the Bartzes.

Yaz noticed how perplexed the Doctor was. "What's wrong?"

"I can't reconcile this data. There's a missing link somewhere . . . oh. I need to look at Enralk's medical data, don't I?"

"What is it?" Ryan asked.

The Doctor punched two commands into the console. "They're Bartzes. All of them," the Doctor said. "The Bartzes are an evolved form. That's why they're compatible enough for one to possess Enralk the way it did. That's why the TARDIS couldn't translate everything that one was saying. They're a new subspecies or an entirely new life form developing a new language, but the TARDIS says evolution shouldn't work like this, not on this planet."

"It's artificial," Ryan realized.

"Like they're lab experiments?" Yaz added.

"Possibly," the Doctor responded.

The TARDIS took the group to Ardstil's home.

Ardstil was entertaining a guest and was going to greet the Doctor warmly, but the Doctor was too impatient for niceties.

"Where were the Bartzes first observed?" the Doctor asked.

"My neighbor had the earliest account. She thought she witnessed something in Whispering Stone Creek near the public orchards."

"What else is around there?" the Doctor asked. "Are there any research facilities?"

"Rosy Springs Firm is located within two throws from there," the guest said.

"This is my friend, Ammil. What's happening?"

"Something to do with the Bartzes," Ryan answered.

"Where is the laboratory?" Graham asked.

"It's towards that direction, approximately twice the distance from here to Blue Ridge Reservoir."

"Then that's where we're going," the Doctor said, running off with her companions.

The TARDIS arrived on the roof of Rosy Springs Firm. The Doctor slowly approached a skylight, scanning the area with her companions behind her.

"I'm getting stronger readings. They aren't Bartzes, but they're similar." The Doctor continued walking around and used the sonic screwdriver to open a door and summon an elevator.

Soon, the group arrived at a laboratory with several dozen large ceiling-height tubes with small amounts of dark purple liquid pooled inside them. The Doctor used her sonic screwdriver to access the control system for one of the tubes to learn more about it.

Eight guards suddenly burst in with weapons pointed at the four travelers.

"Show your hands!" a guard yelled.

Graham, Yaz, and Ryan complied anxiously, while the Doctor's attention remained on the tube.

"He said the Bartzes took the children, but they didn't," the Doctor said. "They are the children."

"What?" Graham replied. "We just dropped them off on another planet."


	4. Evolution

_Chapter 4: Evolution_

The Doctor turned to the guards. "Who's in charge of this place?" she asked with anger in her voice.

"Show your hands!" a guard yelled.

"I will not show you my hands until you tell me who is in charge of this place."

"You have no standing for demands. We have weapons."

"And we're the ones who just sent the Bartzes to another planet. I think your boss would like to know where. Who is in charge here?"

"I am," a voice said over the intercom. "Where are the Bartzes?"

"What did you do?"

"Kulair, shoot one of these trespassers," the voice ordered.

"If any of us gets hurt, you will lose all one hundred eighteen Bartzes. I do not bluff. Now, it's time for us to talk face to face."

"Kulair, usher the trespassers into my conference room."

The Doctor and her companions arrived at a room where a man was impatiently waiting for them.

"I am Ishton Dullor Adamm. Who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor. This is Ryan, Graham, and Yaz. What kind of work are you doing here?"

"Where are the Bartzes?"

"The Arkwants are the only civilization with a name for the planet. They call it Jrammil."

"You have interplanetary transport," Ishton concluded.

"We do. What kind of work are you doing here?"

"You will take me and my scientists to retrieve the Bartzes while your associates remain here."

"My transport is designed to have four pilots. Unless you have three qualified drivers, my friends are coming with me. Answer my question, or no one goes anywhere."

"I want to take over the moon. I applied my expertise on the genetic bases of behavior and my lead scientist's expertise on evolutionary physiology to develop living weapons. Reports have indicated our moon is rich in natural resources. I want them."

"You took children and made them into Bartzes?" the Doctor asked, already knowing the answer.

"They are the best candidates for the procedure. They are still weak-willed and their bodies flexible."

"Maybe that's why Ardstil's aunt could exert so much control over one of them," Yaz quietly commented.

"And their language skills must've still been developing," the Doctor added.

"How could you do that?" Graham demanded.

"We are certain this water form is the next step in our species. We just accelerated it." Ishton summoned guards into the room. "Take us all to this planet. Now."

The Doctor signaled to her companions to stand. They led the way towards the TARDIS, until a few nearby explosions knocked everyone down.

"Take out those guards!" the Doctor yelled. "It's about time you acted!"

Bregkurk fired electrical shots towards the guards, incapacitating them.

"Where did you come from?" Graham asked.

"My friend Ammil is gifted in the trades of telecommunication and gadgetry. Business relating to the sheets is important to me, and I asked Ammil to attach listening devices on two of you. We heard everything."

"I saw the devices," the Doctor informed Bregkurk. "I saw you following."

"We must inform our legal enforcers of this abomination," said Ammil.

"They will do nothing to help you," Ishton claimed.

"Did you bribe them or something?" Graham suggested.

Ishton glared at Graham.

"His facial expression confirms it," said Ardstil.

"I have compromising information on them," Ishton explained.

"How far does it go?" Yaz asked. "Ardstil, you said not everyone believes the Bartzes exist. This is why, isn't it? The information is being suppressed."

"Then we'll go all the way to the top, after we find a solution," said the Doctor.

The Doctor used the TARDIS to transport everyone back into the lab.

"I'll guard the doors," Bregkurk offered.

"I'll help," said Ryan.

The Doctor accessed the control system for a tube. "The children were placed in these. This is where they were transformed." The Doctor hooked up the TARDIS to one of the tubes and opened another to take samples of the purple liquid, which she analyzed in the TARDIS.

"Ardstil, do you personally know anyone who has lost a child recently?"

"Yes, I do."

"All right," the Doctor replied. "I'm going to need some biological data from them. Leave Ishton here. We don't need him anymore. The rest of us, let's go."

* * *

"Ardstil, Bregburk, hello. Who are these?"

"This is Ammil. This is the Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, and Graham. Everyone, this is Yender and Vurren. We think we know what happened to Yuris."

"What happened?"

"It's a long story," the Doctor replied. "Rather than get your hopes up about anything, would you mind coming to my ship and providing me some of your genetic data?"

"You should do so," Bregkurk advised.

The Doctor ran more tests. "I think I've got it, and I think we're going to need more parents for this to work. How do you put the word out to get all the parents of missing children?"

"That's what I can do," Ammil said. "I know they will be eager to answer."

Ammil broadcast a message announcing a potential lead in finding the missing children and asked for parents to respond with their locations. Everyone boarded the TARDIS and picked up the parents who responded.

Yaz and Ryan ushered the parents into a room, where Graham told them what they had learned about Ishton and the Bartzes.

The Doctor parked the TARDIS back on Jrammil. She could see from the monitors that the Bartzes were gathering around the TARDIS.

"Okay, do your thing," the Doctor told the ship.

Graham, Ryan, and Yaz eventually returned to the console by the Doctor.

"It's done," the Doctor announced. "The TARDIS has listened enough to translate. Bring out the parents."

After enlarging the shield around the TARDIS, the Doctor stepped out with some of the parents.

"I'm sorry for exiling you to this planet," the Doctor told the Bartzes. "We understand who you are, now. We can help you turn back to normal. You don't have to listen to Ishton's instructions anymore. You can go home and be with your families. Your parents are here because they love you and want you back. We can restore your lives back to what they were originally."

The Doctor turned to one pair of parents and signaled to them to approach.

"Yulien, come forward so you can be with your parents again."

A Bartz slowly approached the Doctor.

"You can change your form, right?" the Doctor said. "Do you remember what you used to look like?"

Yulien slowly changed her appearance to look humanoid again.

Yulien's mother gasped behind her.

The Doctor opened part of the shield and let Yulien in.

"We can help you, I promise. Read your parents' mind to verify, if you wish. You can be a family again. Do you want that?"

"Yes," Yulien replied.

"Then follow Yaz into the TARDIS, please."

The Doctor repeated the process with the other one hundred seventeen families and took everyone to a planetary legal enforcement office, where parents described what happened on Jrammil. The Doctor then took everyone, including several enforcement officers, to the laboratory at Rosy Springs Firm.

Planetary legal enforcement officers detained the employees of the firm and called for additional support, while the Doctor and the TARDIS synthesized a serum using Ishton's data and poured the serum onto the Bartzes. The Bartzes slowly returned to their original humanoid selves.

"If they practice enough, they can switch between forms," the Doctor informed everyone.

The TARDIS crew helped the families with clothing the children and organizing briefing sessions so the parents could give their statements.

Finally, the Doctor looked at one last set of data.

"What are you doing?" Ryan asked the Doctor.

"There's something not right about the bones we saw," the Doctor explained. "Even though we can't see it, the Bartzes have bone structures that the TARDIS was able to model, and this is something else."

"What is it?"

Though exhausted, the Doctor felt anger boiling up inside her. "Is Ishton still here?" the Doctor asked Ammil.

"Yes," Ammil replied. "I was told that they were waiting for his wife to finalize his arrest. She was working on the other side of this planet, and just arrived. They will likely leave soon."

"It's good she's here," the Doctor said. She rushed to where she was expecting Ishton to be held. She saw Ishton conversing with his wife and several enforcement officers. Ishton's wife was clearly furious and upset.

"I'm the Doctor. What's your name?"

"I'm Maleedra. You're the one who uncovered this horror."

"It gets worse, I'm afraid," the Doctor said. "Are you missing a child, too?"

"Yes. I was told all the children were found."

"I'm sorry," the Doctor replied, as she turned to Ishton.

"You needed to start with someone. You used your own child, but the process didn't work and your child didn't survive, isn't that correct? We found the bones. They are altered, but are not Bartz bones."

"Is that true?" Maleedra asked Ishton.

"I'm sorry, Maleedra. I was certain it would work. I was certain everything would be fine. I'm sorry."

"Why should she believe that when you got rid of the bones the way you did?" the Doctor asked. "They looked like they were just tossed aside in a cave!"

Unseen to anyone, Maleedra grabbed a pen. Thinking Maleedra was going to slap her husband and not seeing the pen, a guard did nothing to intervene as Maleedra approached Ishton. She plunged the pen into Ishton's head. Though Ishton died immediately, Maleedra continued stabbing Ishton until she let a guard restrain her.

The Doctor returned to the lab and saw the last families depart. "Come on," she told her companions. "There's nothing left here for us to do."

"Doctor, thank you," Ardstil said. "Thank all of you."

"We just did what was right," Yaz said.

The Doctor and her companions boarded the TARDIS and departed.

"Are you going to tell us where you just went?" Graham asked.

"No, I'll keep that to myself," the Doctor answered.

"So, where to now, then?" Graham asked.

"Bed," Ryan answered. "Everyone here looks tired."

"I agree," Yaz said. "It's been a long day."

Ryan and Yaz headed to their rooms.

"Are you all right?" Graham asked the Doctor.

The Doctor nodded. "It's been an exhausting day in many ways."

"Yeah, but look at what got accomplished," Graham said, trying to reassure the Doctor with a smile.

"Time for rest," said the Doctor.

"That goes for you, too. Come on."

Graham led the way, and soon the console room was quiet.

* * *

That's the end. Thank you for getting this far, and thanks especially to **artsoccer** and **Zefir512** for following.


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